Bear House

Built in 1981, this stylish contemporary is nestled in a gorgeous community, surrounded by Whitehall and Ridout creeks. The neighborhood has its own waterfront parks, wooded walking trails, and acres of farmland. According to Zillow, the home was purchased for $40K and has not been sold since.

I found this area a couple of years ago while taking my 1971 Beetle convertible on a Sunday drive. The entrance looks like a service road off a main drag. But the curvy entrance winds behind beautiful open fields. It looks like most of the homes were built in the 1980s. Contemporaries are mixed with more traditional family homes, but each one is meticulously cared for and landscaped. It’s one of my favorite places to take our son for a drive. We always encounter joggers or folks walking their dogs, and are greeted with a friendly wave.

This home is across the street from the water and sits on a huge corner lot. There is a two-car garage and plenty of storage from a large shed. While this is a relatively dark neighborhood, most of it was once forest; there are plenty of windows on all sides to welcome the light.

One of the most attractive aspects to this home is the stonework fence and stairs. This is my favorite style of stone landscaping…. so much more attractive than red brick.

The front door still sports contemporary lighting fixtures. In our own home, we spent a great deal of time finding just the right cylinder lamps to replace the traditional night-lights. Curiously, the homeowners sport a large wooden bear at this front entrance. He poses in front of a grass-etched window. Sure it’s no Bertoia sculpture, but the bear has attitude and adds to the personality of this house. Grrrrr.

-K

2035 Chesapeake Rd...a Mystery on the Bay

We normally won’t give out addresses for our Cool Contemporaries, but this home is unoccupied and for sale. Actually, it has been on the market for some time.

I really thought there would be a cool story to go along with this modern home, but the real estate agent was unable to answer any of my questions. Turns out the owners are “out of town” and not easy to reach.

This is a strange neighborhood to begin with. A long drive down Log Inn Rd. and Tydings Road takes you past very rural land spotted with rustic cottages and a few new modest homes. It’s only when you get closer to the bay do you see fancier homes near the Podickory Point Yacht Club.

It’s amazing there aren’t huge estates and endless mansions absorbing the water front view. But that’s the charm of the Broadneck peninsula…cottages from earlier days mixed with middle incoming dwellings and the occasional huge house.

I really wanted to know who the architect is for 2035 Chesapeake Rd….

Clearly someone who knew how to frame a natural view. Seems like every window is a picture perfect image of the bay.

The most notable feature is the enormous stucco mural facing the street. Signed by the artist, I was dismayed the realtor had no idea who made this wall.

So my imagination goes wild. Back in 1989, who would have commissioned such a detailed home only to abandon it some twenty years later? I think of some young socialite, smitten with contemporary homes in California or maybe Miami stuccos. The pink kitchen and bath features also lend to the Miami vice trend. You will notice the ceiling in the kitchen is missing.

There are several spots in the home where the ceiling has been stripped to the rafters, probably by some serious water damage. My first thought was, "hmmm maybe after a drunken binge the socialite falls asleep with a cigarette, triggering a sprinkler system which destroys the home….or maybe a neglected overflowing bath tub"…the mind wanders!

The realtor either really doesn’t know or doesn’t want to share the details of why the home is in such bad shape. I remember the house on the market for $3 million at one point….today it’s on sale for a bargain $1.3, less than the value of the land.

I wonder who is going to buy this place. Is it a million dollar tear down? I can only hope a lover of contemporary homes will restore this unique and mysterious place on the bay.

-K

Pictures published with permission, Charlie Buckley.

http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-TYDINGS+ON+BAY-ANNAPOLIS-MD-MRIS-AA7265491

Modern on the Magothy

This modern masterpiece is situated in a gorgeous Arnold neighborhood, overlooking the Magothy River. The house stands out among more traditional homes. What do we like best about this house? Hmmmm I dunno, the towering windows, the waterfront decks, the stone work, the three car garage? It looks to have two huge chimneys, so we can just imagine sitting in front of a fireplace in our Eames lounger.

I guess the only drawback to this beautiful home is the lack of privacy and secluded yard. I mean, folks could just drive right up and take a picture! I am sure this is a fabulous home to entertain in....but probably not the best place to live with an 18 month old. Regardless, it remains one of our most favorite cool contemporaries in the Annapolis area. We placed a Cool Contemporaries award in their mailbox but have not received any additional information on the house. Here's hoping for a future update.

-K and M

Vertical Siding

Our 1200 square foot home is covered in cedar siding. When we first moved in the siding was black and dismal. The previous homeowner used some kind of clear finish on the wood which allowed the sun to damage each knotty board.

One of the first things we did to our home was have the cedar restored. This is a process of chemically stripping off the finish, gingerly cleaning each plank, then re staining. The folks at See Dirt Run, did an amazing job.

Which brings us to this Arnold home pictured above. We love the vertical planks across the entire house, but can't imagine the love and care (and money) needed to keep this contemporary from looking dingy.

We thank these homeowners for keeping up the good fight. Too many cedar sided homes are falling to bad taste and convenience. These natural wood homes should never....I repeat NEVER be replaced with vinyl siding. Oh the horror. Yes, it costs money to maintain a cedar home, they need to be re stained about every 5 years...but it is a commitment contemporary homeowners should be aware of before purchasing.

These homeowners received a Cool Contemporaries award but we have not heard from them yet. We'd love to know more about this natural home and its upkeep.

-K and M